Improvement in reaping and mowing machines



T. D. BURRALL.

. Harvester Cutter.

No.16,258. Patented Dec. 16,1856.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS D. BURRALL, OF GENEVA, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN REAPING AN-D MOWI NG MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 16,258, dated December 16, 1956.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS D. BURRALL, of Geneva, in the county of Ontario and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use a certain new and useful Improvement in Mowing and Reaping Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, wherein- Figure l is a plan of the outer end of the finger-board. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the shoe and separator, and Fig. 3 is a section of the finger-board.

Similar marks of reference indicate the same parts.

The nature of my said invention consists in a peculiar construction of the fingerboard and parts carrying the cutters,whereby the cutter-bar is prevented from becoming clogged.

(t is the fingerboard, attached to any character of mowing or reaping machine. This finger-board carries the guards b 1), Within which the knives d on the cutter-bar c vibrate. This cutter-bar c and the cutters and guards may be of any desired construction, and the cutter-bar c is to be actuated by any compe tent means, as usual.

The cutter-bars of reaping-machines have heretofore been placed within the guards in front of the finger-bar, or else resting partially or entirely on the finger-board. In both these cases sand, gravel, and the grass or grain very often work under and clog the cutter-bar in its vibration. To remedy this evil, I place the front edge of the cutter-bar on the same line, or nearly so, of the front edge of the tinger-board, and form a recess or space, 6, (see Fig. 3.) between said cutter-bar and the fingerboard. Thereby, the front edges ofthe cutterbar and fingerboard coinciding, or nearly so, extraneous substances are prevented from entering between said cutter-bar and fingerboard; but should any substance by accident pass between said parts it immediately falls away into the recess or space 0, and does not clog the cutter-bar in its action.

f is the shoe at the end of the finger-board, secured thereto by the bolt 2, and g is a plate passing from the upper side of the finger-board to the shoef, beneath which plate the cutters vibrate, and said plate g is secured by bolts 1 1, and carries the separator It, that divides the cut from the uncut grass or grain. The shoe f projects behind the finger-board a, as an arm, carrying the wheel 6, supporting the parts at this point. In order to convert my mowingmachine into a reaper, I simply remove the shoef by loosening the bolts 1 and 2, and substitute another shoe with a longer arm and larger wheel to raise the finger-board a to the required height from the ground.

I do not claim the cutter-bar, cutters, or guards in themselves, as these are well known. Neither do Iclaim bringinga notchedorturned edge incontact with the lower side of the vibrating cutters, as this has been used when the stationary cutters were made in one piece of sheet metal, and said metal folded over to serve as a finger-board; but I am not aware that the finger-board has ever before been formed with a continuous lip or rib at the front edge, coinciding, or nearly so, with the front edge of the vibrating cutter-bar, when free space is allowed below and behind said cutterbar for any extraneous substance to free itself and pass away with the grass or grain to the rear of said finger-board as the machine advances. i

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- Placing the front edge of the cutter-bar on the line, or nearly so, of the front edge of the finger-board, when said finger-board is formed with the raised front edge or lip, leaving free space below and behind the cutter-bar for any extraneous substances to escape from be neath said cutter-bar and pass freely away to the rear with the grass or grain, as specified. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this 2d day of October, 1856.

THOMAS D. BURRALL. Witnesses:

LEMUEL W. SERRELL, THOMAS G. HAROLD. 

